Weight container



K March zo, 192s. 1,663,103

E. w. THoMPsoN WEIGHT CONTAINER Filed Sept. 19. 1925 7 7 0 Willy V;

INVENTOR,

v F .Thompson S5 A i Patented Maf. 2o, 1928.

`UNITE) STATES A FRED w. THOMPSON, or DENVER, COLORADO.

WEIGHT CONTAINER.

vApplication led September 19, 1925. Serial No. 57,373.

This invention relates to holders of the kind in which the fractionalparts of a set of Weights are kept in connection with Weighinginstruments. -f

5 Heretofore, a piece of glass loosely laid over the compartments of theholder, which contain the fractionals, has been commonly lused to serveas a cover. In handling and transporting Weight boxes in which theholder is contained the smaller weights which are very thin, liketinfoil, are frequently jarred out of their compartments and damagedunder the glass cover and since, when the weights are to be used, the

glass cover is merely laid aside, the latter is often lost and issubject to accidental breakage.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a suitable containerwith a practically non-breakable glass cover together with meansfor'holding it tightly in connection with the container when the weightsare not in use.

vThe container and the cover are moreover so constructed that the covercan be easil removed when the Weights are to be use while under the sameconditions the cover may be attached compactly at the bottom of thecontainer to prevent the cover being lost or misplaced and to permit ofplacing theentire device inside the balance close to the scale pan inorder to facilitate handling of the very small weights Without loss.

A further object of the invention is to save space and material in theconstruction of the box which contains the full set of wei hts since bythe use of my invention the holder for the. fractional Weights can beplaced on edge without'loss or damage of 4o the Weights therebypermitting of making the box narrower than was formerly re-A quiredwhere the holders were placed horizontally of the set. In the oldconstruction hereinbefore referred to, it was necessary to place the4inner fractional container in a flat or horizontal position in order tokeep the loose glass cover in position and pre-,

vent the small weights rombeing spilled in handling or transportation.

An embodiment of my invention has been illustrated in the accompan ingdrawings in the several views of whic like parts are similarlydesignated and in which Figure 1 represents a perspective view of havingits cover member in the reversed position to which it may be adjustedwhen the bo is opened to afford access to its contents; an

Figure 6, aperspective view showing the weight holder in an uprightposition in a box of the kind used in connection with weighing scales,to hold in addition to weights of larger size, `a container of the.

character of that ofthe present invention, 1n which the smaller weightsare contained. It has been common practice to provide in connection witha weighing scale, holders y for Weights of small value, comprising a traprovided with a number of pockets in which the diierent Weights arearranged according to their sizes.

The trays were usually closed when notin use by placing thereon a heavyslab of glass, sometimes provided with a knob or handle for its readymanipulation. This construction made it necessary that the Weight box beconstantly maintained in a horizontal position to prevent the weightsfrom spilling.

When the tray was removed from its box in order to place it inconvenient' proximity vto .the Weighing instrument, the utmost care wasrequired to keep the Weights in their respective pockets, especiallywhile the holder was moved from one place to another and a furtherobjection to the old construction was that the glass lid was easilybroken or misplaced.

All of the above disadvantages of the old method of closing the weightholder are eliminated by the use of my invention which` as stated beforemaintains the weights in place in the compartments of the holderirrespective of the position of the holder or the box in which it iscontained.

Referrin further to the drawings,'my imroved weight holder consists ofa. tray or ody member 5 which in common with the grooves 8 of hour-glassform which provide the means for the connection of the cover member ofthe device as will hereinafter be4 more fully explained. y

The cover member consists of a. vframe-part 9 preferably made of thinmetal having at right angles to its body-portion 10, longitudinalflanges 12 adapted to slidably embrace the tray or body member 5 of thedevice as best shown in Figures 1 and .Il of the draw-- 1n s.

2gIhe top portion 10 of the frame has an oblong opening or window 13through which the contents of the holder may be seen when the cover isin its normal position upon the tray member thereof and the flanges 12of the frame are at their junctions with the top portion longitudinallybeaded for the support of a glass plate 14k by means of which the windowin the top is closed. The plate is slightly shorter than the cover andit is held against displacement by indentations 15 at the ends of thecover` engaging the ends thereof.

The longitudinal Hanges are indented at central points to form inwardlyprojecting detents 17 adapted to enter the longitudinal grooves 8 in thesides of the tray member.

The medial neck portions 8a of the grooves between their oppositelytapering sections correspond in width to the detents and the d-istancebetween the detents and the lower surface of the glass plate set in theframe of the cover, slightly exceeds the distance between the neckportions of the grooves and the upper surface of the tray so that whenthe cover is in place, it will be clampingly held in position by thefrictional contact of the detents with thevslanting upper edges of thegrooves., f

Transverse beads 16 on the top portionrof the cover at opposite ends ofits opening,

perform the three-fold function ofincreasing the rigidity of the cover,of providing thumb-ridges which facilitate the removalV of the coverfrom the tray, and of servin as feet for the stable support of' the hoder when the position of the cover relative to the body-member thereofis reversed as shown in Figure 5.

Having 'thus described thevstructural features of my improved weightholder, it will be readily apparent .that when the cover is in place onthe tray, the clamping engagement of its detents in the grooves of thesame will drew the glass plate tightly in contact with the recessedsurfaceof the tray and hold the cover against accidental lengthwisedisplacement. The holder may thus be handled and placed in any positionwithout danger of the weights spilling from their pockets, and when theweights are in use .the cover may be reversed and fastened beneath theholder to function as a supportas illustrated -in Figure 5.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A weight holder of the character described, comprising alongitudinally grooved tray-member having a recessed top, and a flangedcover-member havingdetents fitted to ,the grooves o1 the tray member tohold the cover in contact with the recessed top of the same, and adaptedto tighten the cover as the detents approach the longitudinal mid-pointof the grooves. e

2. A weight holder of the character described comprising a tray memberhaving a recessed tolp and tapering grooves at opposite sides t ereof,and a flanged cover-member having detents fitted to the grooves ofthetray-member to hold the cover member in contact with the recessed topof the same, and adapted to tighten the cover as the detents approachthe longitudinal mid-point 0f the grooves.

3. A weight holder of the character described comprising a tray memberhaving a recessed top and hour-glass shaped grooves at opposite sidesthereof, and a anged cover-member having detents fitted to the groovesof the tray member to hold the cover Imember in contact with therecessed top of the same.

4:. A weight holder of the character described comprising a tray-memberhaving a recessed top and longitudinally slantmg edges at opposite sidesYthere@incl a lianged cover-member having detents engagingsaid.,iN

edges to hold the covermembeiLin contact with the recessed top of thetra member. 5. A weight holder of the c aracter described comprising atray membrhzging a recessed top, and a removable cover-ineming meansco-operative with the grooves to be held either in contact with the topof the tray or in a reversed position, beneath-the bottom of the same.

rber held tightly in contact with the recessel\\V 1ra-W 7. A weightholder of the character described, comprising a tray member havingrooves on the sides thereof; and a flangia? iliding cover member havingdetents to ti 13 1,ees,ws

in they grooves the distance from the top of the detent to the undersurface of the top of the cover being not more than the distance fromthe upper and' lower ed e of the groove 5 to tlhe top and bottomv of t etray respective y.

A8. A weight holder ofthe character described, eomprising 'a tray memberhaving grooves at the sides thereof, and a sliding vcover member havingmeans cooperatin with '10'y Athe grooves of the tray, the cover mgadapted to slide on either the top orjlthe bottom of the tray member.

In testimony whereof I have aixed my signature. g

FRED W. THOMPSON.

